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| re: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was enough (spoilers, I guess) | |
| Last Edit: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:01 am EST 01/14/18 | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:00 am EST 01/14/18 | |
| In reply to: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was enough (spoilers, I guess) - NewtonUK 09:58 am EST 01/13/18 | |
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| NewtonUK, I have certainly earned my screenname here with more than one deeply critical rant about shows... although I tend to be most critical of new works... I do think that some of your distaste directly stems from issues that are intrinsic to this piece. And... I'm willing to say that they're vital to understanding the power of this particular story, and why its resonance can (and should) make us think about the far deeper victimization of black populations on islands that were colonized by the Europeans. Ultimately, TiMoune's self-sacrificing death, which cracks the gates of the Hotel Beauxhomme, leads to deeper intermixing of the light and dark skinned population. It ultimately argues that this love -- intermarrying -- is what brought a kind of reconciliation between the haves and the have nots. I think that's a powerful message. And, I think it's true. Whether or not this production's final tableau and images communicate this message, was, for me, one of the only flaws in a production I found absolutely transporting. - GMB |
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| re: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was enough (spoilers, I guess) | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 12:05 pm EST 01/16/18 | |
| In reply to: re: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was enough (spoilers, I guess) - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:00 am EST 01/14/18 | |
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| Hi Grumpy M B! I'm trying to understand, truly - I know many have loved this production - though the Word of Mouth isnt driving ticket sales yet, which usually means they don't really 'love' it - they like it a lot, but .. What I can't figure out - and I downloaded the libretto so I could look and see what I might have missed - is why this story can be compelling. Ti Moun sees Daniel drive by twice in his expensive car, and she decides she is in love. Then the 'gods' cause his car to crash (thanks gods) so Ti Moun can meet him up close, and save his life. Fair enough. But can this be the great love of her life forever? I mean, Daniel is a shit, is already engaged, and has not even a glimmer of a moment of thinking Ti Moun is a better truer option. So - dark skinned girl falls for light skinned shit, he dumps her, she basically commits suicide pining for him. What the heck are all those singing gods doing? If they 'are' gods, they have set her up to fall in love with the wrong guy, and they cause her suicide. After 'gods' save the young girl from a flood at the beginning of the show, why would the 'gods' play such a horrible trick on Ti Moun? And not rescue her - or say 'oops, our mistake, we put an asshole in front of you. Walk away. We'll help find you a good guy!' SO she's turned into a tree. I know this is supposedly based on The Little Mermaid - by way of Rosa Guy's novel. But just as Disney destroyed the story by rewriting it to suit 'family values', so the musical (perhaps following the novel) changes important elements too. The Prince in LM is in love with a Temple Dancer who saves his life. That turns out to be the Princess he marries, not the Little Mermaid. So he marries the Princess - but LM is saved by becomein ga spirit of the air, to do good for 300 years, and then will rise to the Kingdom of God. And of course, in order to try to woo the handsome Prince she has seen, the LM's trade off is to become human, but also mute. Here there's no trade off. She is ultimately allowed to go to the young light skinned guy, against everyone's better judgment. They are worried it will turn out badly. And it does. When Daniel turns out to be a dick - and a big one - why doesn't here family, friends, and the gods take her in their arms til she gets over it, and they all move on. There seem to be at least 4 gods in Once On This Island. For gods sake, one of them has to help her. Rather than let her waste away and die and become a tree. I don't see a call for racial tolerance or anything else in the story. Daniel is already in love with Andrea. He toys with Ti Moun. But is never serious about her. I don't see this as a race thing - Andrea was about as dark as Ti Moun. Only Daniel was light skinned. What am I missing? I LOVE a good fairy tale. Last season I saw Kneehigh's 946: The AMazing Story of Adolphus Tips - what a wonderful moving experience. With many fairy tale elements. I laughed, I cried. I saw it 3 times. So - where is the page in teh script that makes me feel something in OOTI? I know you and others have found it! |
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| re: PS - Ti Moun in Haitian Creole | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 12:17 pm EST 01/16/18 | |
| In reply to: re: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was enough (spoilers, I guess) - NewtonUK 12:05 pm EST 01/16/18 | |
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| Having worked in Haiti, I reached out to friends there ... Ti Moun in Haitian Creole means literally 'small person' or 'child'. An orphan is "on ofelen" Maybe Ti Moun means orphan an another island, though Once on This Island seems to have Haiti on its mind. |
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